1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to data processing systems and methods and, more particularly, to identifying regionally sensitive queries.
2. Related Art
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Users of network-connected computers and mobile devices such as personal digital assistants and (users) may request information by formulating a search query and submitting the search query, for example, to an internet search engine. Internet search engines are often used to search (i.e. query) the internet for specific content that is of interest to the user. Queries are generally accomplished by entering keywords into a search field that relate to the specific interest of the user.
With the growth of the internet and the World Wide Web, the number of computer users performing searches from various geographic locations has increased. As such, the expected results from these queries may vary greatly based upon the geographic location of the user issuing the query. Queries in which the expected results of a user are based on the user's location are known as “regional sensitive queries”. In other words, users typically desire results associated with a specific geographic location (local results) when issuing regional sensitive queries. Users issuing regional sensitive queries are considered to have local intent. On the other hand, queries that bear no specific local intent are known as “global queries”.
A user with a local intent is primarily interested in search results that satisfy that intent. Search results that are not limited to the region of interest can be distracting or annoying to the searcher. The searcher may not be able to find the specific information required. The search provider who operates the internet search engine may lose a business opportunity with the searcher because the search results are insufficiently tailored to the searcher's local intent. Unfortunately, local intent is not always explicitly indicated in a search query. As such, there exists a need for an enhanced system and method for distinguishing regional sensitive queries from global queries in order to more readily identify the local intent of a user.